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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24440062">Spilling the Tea</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchScribbler/pseuds/FrenchScribbler'>FrenchScribbler</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>How the lettuce family got bigger [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Time Skip, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Slow Burn, Tea Parties, What Was I Thinking?, no beta we die like Glenn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:13:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,951</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24440062</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchScribbler/pseuds/FrenchScribbler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>While Seteth is still thinking about what happened between Byleth and him, he overhears (or spies on) a conversation about men between her, Flayn and Manuela.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>My Unit | Byleth &amp; Seteth, My Unit | Byleth/Seteth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>How the lettuce family got bigger [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762282</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Spilling the Tea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Lots of thoughts in Seteth's head right now. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone waiting for smutty stuff, I'll try to make things right for you next time ;D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day after his encounter with Byleth in the library, Seteth was having some difficulty to focus on his work. He hadn’t dreamed what had happened. He really did kiss her, really did embrace her, really did touch her. His behavior was quite unsightly for the stern administrator that he was. Laying a hand on one of the Academy staff, what a disgrace. If only he could erase the events of yesterday…</p>
<p>He deserved the lack of sleep and the dark circles under his eyes. He did a terrible mistake, he had to bear with the consequences and he was pretty sure he would get more than one sleepless night in return.</p>
<p>Seteth seemed to be the only one tormenting himself about what had happened in the library though. He had observed Byleth from afar in the morning and she didn’t look tired or awkward at all. What a lucky woman.</p>
<p>A loud laugh suddenly startled him and pulled him out of his thoughts. It was Manuela’s. She was still healing from her stab wound but she was always in the infirmary, available for anyone who was in need of treatment.</p>
<p>All the doors of this corridor were always open when there was no need for privacy. It was easy to hear what was happening in the other offices. Not that it bothered Seteth though, he was used to it.</p>
<p>“This tea is excellent, Professor Manuela.”</p>
<p>Seteth straightened on his chair. That voice was Flayn’s. Was she feeling unwell? He had to go see her!</p>
<p>“Is that a sweet-apple blend?” another voice asked.</p>
<p>Stunned, Seteth sat back on his chair because<em> that</em> voice was Byleth’s. He wasn’t ready to face her yet. Then, it occurred to him that Manuela would sometimes organize improvised tea parties in the infirmary. After all, he could hear the faint clattering of a spoon turning in a cup and they were talking about tea, though the conversation changed quite abruptly.</p>
<p>“You know, I finally had a date with that dashing knight I was telling you about last week,” Manuela said. “But when I invited him to my room, he thought I had been burgled. I said I had not, I’m just not the tidiest person in the world. The dreadful man looked at me as if I was some sort of crazy woman. Who has time to clean a room? Because I know <em>I</em> don’t. Then, he said it was impossible for him and he left me all alone. Why do I have such bad luck with men?”</p>
<p>Seteth was used to hear about Manuela’s love life, she didn’t make it a secret. She actually didn’t have much success despite her flirting ways and her popularity. For a physician, she was terribly messy and was in the habit of drinking too much.</p>
<p>“Some of them can be really stupid indeed,” Flayn continued, which drew Seteth’s utmost attention. “Linhardt is always asking me about my Crest and lots of other questions related to Saint Cethleann. He is really annoying. There is much more to a person than a Crest but he is so obsessed with it.”</p>
<p>That little sleepy brat dared troubling his dear Flayn with those dangerous questions. Seteth’s blood was boiling with murderous intent. Ever since he has discovered Flayn had a major Crest of Cethleann, that brat had shown a keen interest in her, though he made the effort to hide it when he was around.</p>
<p>“I know what you mean, that old stubborn Hanneman is just the same, “Manuela riled while angrily putting her spoon on the table. “Those dusty scholars and their Crests… That’s all they can think about. I don’t have a Crest myself and I live very well without it. There are more important things in life. Like the fluttering of a heart full of love!”</p>
<p>“I’m not much of a matchmaker but I thought you would go well together,” Flayn commented in a sweet laugh.</p>
<p>“What?! Me? With such an old fool like him?! Pigs may fly before it ever happened! Never!”</p>
<p>“Is your age difference that much of an obstacle?” another voice asked.</p>
<p>It was Byleth’s, who hadn’t participated in the conversation until now. The way she asked, the tone of her voice, intrigued Seteth. Maybe she was thinking about their age difference. After all, he was way older than she was. No, that couldn’t be it. There was nothing between them and she hadn’t been leaving any clue about what she thought about him.</p>
<p>“Not really,” Manuela answered hesitatingly. “The problem is more his personality. His character is horrible! He’s terribly annoying! Even thinking about him makes me mad!”</p>
<p>“What about you, Professor? Do you have any problem with men? You can let it out, you’d feel better after complaining a little. I know I do after calling Linhardt stupid. Though I wouldn’t wish my brother to hear me talking like this.”</p>
<p>“I don’t have any problem with anyone,” Byleth answered.</p>
<p>“What about your love life?” Manuela insisted. “Come on, Professor. We’re between women here, we support each other. And I promise your secrets will be safe with us.”</p>
<p>Seteth was all ears, though he made sure to store in a part of his brain that he had to be even more careful about Flayn. Would Byleth mention him? Or perhaps was she in a relationship with another man? However, he had difficulty imagining her kissing him if she already had someone to do it with.</p>
<p>“Mmh… Someone is always watching me,” she conceded. “I’m not sure why but I always find his eyes following me.”</p>
<p>“Is he a student?” Flayn inquired.</p>
<p>“No. I don’t know what to think. Even after he kissed me.”</p>
<p>Flayn and Manuela both let out a cry of excitement. Seteth had trouble breathing because there was a high chance she was talking about him. Or at least he hoped so. Hope, really? Why was he thinking that?</p>
<p>“Was it your first kiss?” Flayn asked with some sort of romantic naiveté in her voice.</p>
<p>“No. But like that… yes.”</p>
<p>“Ooh, I would ask for details but not in front our dearest Flayn,” Manuela whined in frustration.</p>
<p>“I am not a child, Professor Manuela.”</p>
<p>“Yes, you are, darling,” she insisted before turning her attention back to her colleague. “And who might this man be?”</p>
<p>“I’d rather keep this information to myself at the moment.”</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s a shame. But I understand. You have to figure things out with that man. Kissing you without telling you his feelings. What was he thinking?”</p>
<p>Right. <em>What was he thinking?</em> But Seteth remembered he wasn’t thinking at the time. He had slammed the door to his reason and had gladly welcomed his desire. He couldn’t say why he wanted her at that moment. He hadn’t even thought about feelings until now, since he was already busy being in denial.</p>
<p>“Well, I kissed him too without telling him my feelings either, so I don’t think I’m in any place to think badly of him.”</p>
<p>How Seteth wished he could see Byleth’s face at that moment. Maybe she looked a bit embarrassed or awkward. Or even blushing a little. Wouldn’t it have been out of character?</p>
<p>“Do you have feelings for him, Professor?” Flayn enquired again, relentless.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it actually. How would I know?”</p>
<p>“I suppose your heart would be beating really really fast.”</p>
<p>“Mmh… I don’t think that’d apply to me,” Byleth pondered in a pensive voice.</p>
<p>“Right, you are always so serious, Professor.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Seteth had been unable to hear the rest of the conversation because he had been called to the Cathedral to meet the Statue Artisan to talk about the restoration of the statues of the Four Saints. Their maintenance had been neglected in the last decades and Rhea had judged it was finally time to give their former glory back.</p>
<p>The sun was setting when he left the Cathedral and he decided to go on a walk around the monastery. When passing by the training grounds, Seteth heard the noise of someone training there. At this hour, there was a possibility it was the Fraldarius student from the Blue Lions house. That young man was obsessed with his sword training to the point he was rather rude to anyone who would dare disturbing him. Seteth decided to go see him because he had wanted to encourage him to open up to others or at least to his friends.</p>
<p>It wasn’t a man who was training alone though. It was a woman. It was Byleth. He definitely had a terrible luck, because he still wasn’t ready to face her. Even more after spying on her conversation with Flayn and Manuela earlier. She stopped her movement when she realized he was there.</p>
<p>“I heard some noise and thought it was a student,” he explained, trying to remain his stern self.</p>
<p>“I don’t have much time to train during the day and I would usually train with Felix,” she said while putting the steel sword she had in hand on a wooden stand. “But he got literally kidnapped by Ingrid and Sylvain to celebrate Ashe’s birthday. I had to promise to come later.”</p>
<p>Seteth could picture the scene in his mind; Felix Fraldarius must have been driven mad. Though he was strong, neither of his two friends were weaklings, thus he had no chance against them even if he put up a good fight. It must have been a funny sight to see.</p>
<p>“Are you alright, Seteth? You look awfully tired.”</p>
<p>Her voice suddenly closer to him startled him. He was so much in his thoughts he hadn’t seen her coming close to him. Using all his strength to keep his cool, he cleared his throat and frowned a little.</p>
<p>“I only didn’t sleep well last night. That’s not a big deal. A good night’s rest is all I need.”</p>
<p>“Alright.”</p>
<p>Silence was even more awkward than speaking. Wasn’t Byleth about to go to her student’s birthday celebration? Or maybe was it better for him to leave first? He didn’t know himself being that much of an idiot for he was unable to decide what to do.</p>
<p>“Why did you kiss me yesterday?” she asked as if it was a simple inquiry.</p>
<p>His faced blushed instantly as he looked at her in utter shock. So much for keeping his cool… Then he realized his mouth was open and he cleared his throat again and tried to regain countenance.</p>
<p>“I… I suppose…”</p>
<p>Seteth didn’t know why. He hadn’t given himself enough time to meditate about this. Was she expecting for him to tell her he had feelings for her? He didn’t even know if he did. He agreed to admit she didn’t leave him indifferent at the very least. He wasn’t made of stone after all. Still, he’d rather be honest about what he did know.</p>
<p>“I kissed you because I wanted to.”</p>
<p>How he longed to escape this embarrassing conversation and taking refuge in his room.</p>
<p>“I see,” she answered. What did she see exactly? That lack of facial expression of hers was eminently confusing and frustrating. “My students are waiting for me. Have a good night, Seteth.”</p>
<p>“Good night…”</p>
<p>Bewildered. That was the word to describe how he felt. He watched her leave the training grounds without any hint of disturb from her. Well,<em> he</em> was disturbed. He had wished to escape but she was the one leaving.</p>
<p>And what person was okay with ending this kind of conversation just like that? Usually, one would demand to hear more details, any form of explanation. That reason, <em>because he wanted to kiss her</em>, wouldn’t have possibly been enough for her. It shouldn’t have.</p>
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